The Power of a Motivated Man

After producing a gust of wind with the simple sign, Luke looked down at his own hands and wondered why he had believed Yoelona's words.

However, the Black Knight was not as surprised as the half-wolf, and he immediately reacted to the spell with another wave of miasma.

Luke quickly raised his right arm and repeated the signal from before. Flooosh! The swift wind not only dispelled the monster's magic but also tinkled when it hit the creature's rock armor.

Then the knight directed his scythe backward very slowly, while slightly bending his knees. His armor creaked a little and some pieces even broke, but he continued to bend.

In the next instant, the monster shocked Luke by shortening the distance quickly and landing a sharp blow on his chest.

"Arrrgh! You bastard, were you that fast?" The half-wolf spoke, smiling, as blood dripped from the lower corner of his mouth.

As soon as he was hit by the creature's kick, Luke smiled not out of irony but out of pleasure at seeing that the monster, despite having a humanoid appearance, was still as dumb as any other dungeon critter.

Pressed against the arena wall by the creature's left leg, Luke knew that the next blow would be from the scythe, as a simple and predictable combo, since the first blow was not with the weapon. For that reason, he quickly used that predictability to his advantage, making the <Vind > sign with his left hand leaning against the wall, and propelling them both away from the wall. Vuuuosh!

The Knight didn't expect that, but since he was now no longer in melee with the half-wolf, he decided to strike again with the scythe.

Since Luke was already expecting this blow, as soon as he saw the movement of his opponent's torso, he saw an opening and tried to use the wind to break his stance. However, the moment he made the sign and tried to use the magic, a powerful headache ravaged his temples, causing his vision to blur.

He had no choice but to step back and simply dodge the monster's blow.

'Urgh! I believe I am at my limit.'

Luke knew that gene skill usage was not infinite, since Nathalia constantly complained about it, however, he certainly didn't expect his to be so low.

'Fuck it! I think I can push it a little.'

The headache served as a first warning, which was commonly ignored by adventurers, especially wizards.

When he heard the creaking of the Black Knight's armor, Luke knew what he would do and had an idea of how he could react to the monster's swift onslaught.

In the next second, the knight flung himself like a ball, so quietly that it sounded more like a space-dilating blow than actually a thrust.

Luke reacted to this by throwing himself to the left using another wind, which caused the monster to dig his leg into the wall, and this opened up a range of opportunities.

The half-wolf quickly dropped the egg on the ground and ran towards the monster, jumping on its neck, just as he had done with the horse minutes before. In a fluid and shrewd move, Luke put his opponent into a Sleeper Hold.

The Knight, who had not preceded such audacity, dropped his scythe, so he could forcibly take the man out.

However, Luke was putting all his last strength and hopes into this last move, so he didn't give in even when he started getting punched in the face.

In desperation, the Black Knight threw himself hard to the ground and this made the half-beast feel his bones break, not only from the force of the fall but also from the weight of the monster.

Luke had to not only resist its blows but also apply force because he knew the creature would not die without air, so he had to apply the force to his biceps and shoulders, so he could twist and break that sturdy armor.

There were moments that he thought he wouldn't make it, however, once he heard the armor decay, he didn't allow himself to give up. Crack! Crk! Craaak! After the most exhausting seconds of his life, Luke felt a lightness and a lack of resistance and allowed himself to open his eyes.

When he saw that the helmet of his armor was separated from the rest of his body, he was slow to believe that he had actually managed to defeat the creature, until a voice whispered in his ear.

"Black Knight dead, Monster Core obtained... Hihihihi." The voice wasn't the same as usual, that one sounded more... sordid?

Luke compared the tone to the murmurs he heard before he climbed the ladder, and when he concluded it was the exact same voice, he stood up quickly.

"Haa... Haa... Who are you!?" The half-wolf shouted, a little breathless.

A moment later, the voice whispered in his left ear:

"What do you think I am? Hihihi." Soon after, he heard something passing behind the back of his neck and quickly turned around to see what it was.

The moment he saw what it was, Luke immediately remembered the legends he had heard the guards tell each other about the Oukiwa Mining Dungeons. They said that among the pitch of the deepest stone columns and among the least spacious ravines lurked vivid shadows that made the other monsters look like mere sheep.

Now, in front of the half-wolf, there was something not unlike the bison descriptions these legends provided, but quite different from what one would expect from a monster.

In a transmigratory smoke-like shape, the creature displayed a wide, sadistic, macabre grin, as if it were truly proud of the half-wolf's momentary victory.

"You're just another dumb monster, wanting attention," Luke replied, without even a flicker.

Soon, the thing showed an even bigger smile than before, and from that ethereal shadow came limbs that mimicked two legs and two hands, and still without aback. It then landed lightly on the ground and said:

"Oh, no! I was so humiliated... How could a demon redeem himself with you?"

Promptly, he stretched his left leg back, bent his right knee forward, put his left arm behind his back, and extended his right arm, materializing in a well-known noble bow.